President Joe Biden has recognized a diverse group of acclaimed filmmakers, singers, writers, and other cultural figures for their significant contributions to American culture, presenting them with the esteemed National Medals of Arts and National Humanities Medals. A total of 39 recipients were honored, each recognized for their exceptional impact on the arts and humanities in the United States.
The National Medals of Arts are awarded to individuals or groups who have made outstanding contributions to the excellence, growth, support, and availability of the arts in America. Meanwhile, the National Humanities Medals honor those whose work has deepened the nation's understanding of the human experience, broadened engagement with history or literature, or helped preserve and expand access to cultural resources.
Among the 20 recipients of the National Medals of Arts were renowned filmmakers Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, and Ken Burns, as well as singers Missy Elliott and Queen Latifah. The 19 recipients of the National Humanities Medals included playwright-screenwriter Aaron Sorkin and historian Jon Meacham.
Other notable recipients of the arts medals were actors Idina Menzel and Eva Longoria, producer Bruce Cohen, musicians Leonardo “Flaco” Jimenez and Herbert I. Ohta, photographers Randy A. Batista and Clyde Butcher, artists Carrie Mae Weems, Alex Katz, and Mark Bradford, arts leaders Jo Carole Lauder and Bruce Sagan, and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Three of the medals were awarded posthumously to the late singer Selena Quintanilla, artist Ruth Asawa, and chef-author Anthony Bourdain.
During the White House ceremony, Biden praised the recipients, stating, “Above all, you are the masters of your craft that have made us a better America with all of you have done.” The humanities medalists included cultural institutions like the Mellon Foundation and Appalshop, educators Robin Harris, Robert Martin, and Ruth J. Simmons, and scholars Pauline Yu, Nicolás Kanellos, and Robin Wall Kimmerer.
Additional humanities honorees were former US poet laureate Joy Harjo, actor-literacy advocate LeVar Burton, cartoonist Roz Chast, and philanthropists Wallis Annenberg and Darren Walker. Biden also took a moment to acknowledge Vice President Kamala Harris's potential run for the presidency, drawing a standing ovation with his comment about the power of women in the room.
Biden concluded by emphasizing the importance of the arts and humanities in a time when “extreme forces are banning books, trying to erase history, spreading misinformation.”
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